Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Times Two! (with pics)

Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Times Two! (with pics)

Part 1 - Rounding third and heading for home, it's a brown-eyed, handsome man! My friends and I sometimes get discounted tickets to Brooklyn Cyclones games and we went to see them play the Oneonta Tigers a little over 3 weeks ago. Before the game, we had lunch at one of our favorite Mediterranean places, Sahara, in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn. The exterior. The tables inside are made of these tiles with this logo. The Sahara bread which reminds me of a cross between focaccia and pita breads and I could make a meal of this warm, chewy, nutty loaf all by itself! The Shepherd Salad is a very tasty and refreshing mix of cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and parsley. A great way to start the meal. Some Baba Ghanoush (eggplant puree with tahini, olive oil, onion and garlic) Very creamy and delicious hummus. I'm not sure which fish this is, but my girlfriend enjoyed it very much. My Lamb Gyro entree. I thought it was going to be a sandwich, but instead was a huge pile of slow roasted lamb on a plate with pilaf rice, onions, tomatoes and roasted green peppers. This meat was almost shaved into ribbons and perfectly seasoned. I'm not sure what spices were used, but I could taste them and the flavor of the lamb. Our friend's Chicken Kebab Platter. I've had this before and it's moist and loaded with flavor. I've eaten here a few times and have loved it every single time. It started out as a small storefront in the mid-80s and has expanded to almost the entire block. Some might not think of it as Roadfood, but the same family still runs it and puts a lot of love into their food. Next place to check out, what appears to be a legit bialy shop. I had one from here before, but being a goyim, I waited until the next day to eat it, toasted. I think I missed the point of a hot, fresh bialy! My way in to Keyspan Park. Tommy Lasorda and Joan Hodges (Gil Hodges' widow). They were inducting members into the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame. Tommy gave a great speech about how he was happy to be inducted, but sad that Gil has still been overlooked and wanted people to let the voting members know that Gil belongs there too. I love this ballpark. Very intimate and they have lots of activities for the kids! Tommy on the jumbotron. They were having a raffle and one of the prizes was this decorative iron seat plate. Alas, it was not my day to win! The parachute Drop. It hasn't been in operation for years, but provides a nice backdrop to the ballpark. The scoreboard with the rollercoaster that moves when a ball is hit over it. The Cyclones took the day 2-1, but the Tigers' 2nd baseman made two spectacular defensive plays. Brooklyn Brewery beer sold here. I believe this was a Brooklyn Lager. Slightly hoppy and very cold and refreshing on a hot summer day at the ballpark. You know you at a ballpark in Brooklyn when there is a billboard in the outfield advertising Gold's Horseradish! After the game, the park announced that children and their parents could run the bases from 1st to home plate. Well, I saw a lot of big "kids" without parents running, so I decided to warm -up and take my turn! UPDATE: This video still below is actually a link to the video on Photobucket! Not sure if this is going to be the actual video or just a still shot, but I'm the big galoot in the orange cap headed for 3rd base doing windmills with his cap. Such fun!! Naturally, we made our way towards Nathan's for some hot dogs and fries. I saw this place and these next two shots just scream Roadfood. I'll have to check it out next time. Ahh, Nathan's! The crowd at Nathan's after a Cyclones game. packed, but so worth the wait. As a weird aside, the police came along and took down a guy in the street and about half of the people waiting for their food whipped out their cell phones to get pics/video of the incident. It's a new world we're livin' in people! A pair of lovlies with mustard and sauerkraut. My bacon cheese dog. Definitely hit the spot and scratched an itch, you know? Surf and Stillwell is the only place I will eat these fries and they did not disappoint on this evening. Eventually curiosity will get the better of me. Maybe next time... I know this is a bad picture, but I heard recently why these are here. I don't know if this is true or just urban legend, but a friend told me that at some time in the 50s or 60s, someone put acid (trippin' acid, not the corrosive kind) in the big bowl of mustard Nathan's used to have on the counter and people were walking away from Nathan's freaking out and it was traced back to the mustard. I still can't believe there are humans who can consume that many dogs in so short a span of time. I love how Nathan's looks all lit up at night with the people jamming in for a dog and some fries. This, the boardwalk, the Cyclone and Totonno's (please re-open soon!!) will always be Coney Island to me. If you need to get your Nathan's fix, make your way to this sign and then you're only across the street from a true Roadfood experience.

Part 2 - The Empire Strikes Back After the destruction of the Death Star (Yankee Stadium) in 2008...oops, sorry, got sidetracked there. What can you expect from a member of the Red Sox Nation? My good friend Doug (veteran of a few Roadfood Trip Reports himself) is getting married this October and as part of his bachelor party, 6 of us made our way up to the Bronx the see the Bombers take on the White Sox on 08/29/09. We managed to get decent seats on Stub Hub and luckily were under the left field facade as it rained throughout the entire game. I am glad I did make it to the new stadium, although I'd love to see a NY-Boston match-up! Billyboy wearing it proudly in the Bronx! I didn't get any animosity from anyone, just sad looks as my boys were about 6 games out on this night. The Yankee legends banners: Joltin' Joe, the Iron Horse, Mick, Elston Howard? and Scooter for starters. A wide shot from right filed. They kept the tarp on right up until game time. Lots of championships. Our seats were above the group of people in this shot, about 4 rows from the back. The team jerseys are on racks set up locker room style. Neat. I was looking for Doug in the shop when he called me and said he had to leave the shop when he saw a t-shirt selling for $75. I really dig the legs on these tables! A piece of their former home now in their new home. The view from behind home plate. The Yankees through the 50s. It must have been torture to be on anything but a NY team in the early 1950s. The food court. Of course, I was going to throw down with some Roadfooding at the ballpark! My friends know how I roll. Has anyone been to these places at the park yet? Any reports? Honestly, I wouldn't go to Nathan's unless it's in Coney Island. There are Johnny Rockets and Brother Jimmy's near where I live for much cheaper and I can take or leave them. How about Mike's Deli, Arthur Ave. Deli or the Noodle Bowls? The view from my seat. Sure there were people sitting much closer, but most likely they paid more than I did and they got soaked for the entire game! Monument Park. We missed our chance as they had closed down the line just as we were walking down there. The other ball scores. I kept watching it to see how the Sox were doing. They had a rain delay, but eventually beat Texas. Ahh, Garlic Fries! Not a bad deal. These were quite tasty. Not THE best I have ever had, but they had a good crispiness to them and were accented perfectly with garlic and parsley. I almost started jumping for joy when I saw that not only did Lobel's Prime Meats have a sandwich in the park, but they actually had their own butcher onsite EVERY DAY!! I spoke with the butcher through the glass for a bit and he said they are here every day. I figure that if they've been in business for over 160 years, they want to maintain their reputation by overseeing things personally. No question what I would be trying during this game. Since 1840. $15.00 for a sandwich is pretty heady, but they do specialize in prime meats. It was Doug's bachelor party, so I picked up two of them and had them cut into smaller portions so we could all share. I almost fogged up the glass staring at these! The sandwich And a better shot of that tender meat. WOWIEE!!!! This was one amazing sandwich! We all took a pull off of it and it just melted in our mouths. A couple of the guys just looked at me and nodded their heads after the first bite. yeah. They even gave us small container of horseradish which I applied to each bite (after I tried it naked, of course) and the beef and horseradish danced together quite nicely. For your information. I was hoping the White Sox could pull it out, but in the bottom of the 10th Robinson Cano hit a walk-off 3 run homer into the opposing bullpen. Gotta respect the Yankees' flair for the dramatic wins. The Yankees and their food. I ate my fair share of Reggie Bars as a kid and the babe promoted just about anything and any food that came his way. After the game, we swung by a local souvenir shop for some gear. I, being the only non-Yankees fan in the group, stayed outside. They guys after the game. Our friend, Leo, had to depart, but Mike, Doug's dad, Doug and Dave let me get a shot.

That's all for now! Hope you had fun. "Eating is an adventure, enjoy the ride!" - billyboy, 2009

Re:Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Times Two! (with pics)2009/09/10 07:46:53
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Lovely report, as always Billy. I would be all over Sahara like a cheap suit--I love that stuff, and the beef sandwiches look insane. You know, I didn't fully appreciate the dominance of the Yankees until I eavesdropped on Julie watching Ken Burns' 'Baseball' miniseries on DVD recently. Not that I like them any more afterward, but I understand better how they got the rep they have today.

Re:Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Times Two! (with pics)2009/09/10 09:23:48
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Hi Billyboy, great report as usual!

Keyspan Park is indeed one great place to watch a game. What could be better than a summer night watching the game, with Coney Island, the beach, and the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop. I did some research a couple of years ago, and as far as I could tell, Keyspan the only professional ballpark in America that's right on an Ocean beach.

My sister lives not too far from Sahara so I've been there a couple of times. I agree the food is terrific. Where was that bialy place? Further down Coney Island Avenue towards the water? You didn't say how the bialy tasted, other than it was a day old.

Next time you're in that area, you should try Ostrovitsky Bakery, 1124 Avenue J, just off Coney Island Ave. Terrific mini Black & White cakes and lots of other stuff too. Another stop would be one of the competing Chicken Schnitzel places along that stretch of CIA.

Re:Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Times Two! (with pics)2009/09/10 10:08:26
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Nancy, I've seen Ken Burn's "Baseball" about 50 times after my mom bought it for me years ago! If you weren't a Yankee fan in the last 40s - early 50s, then I would guess you were diappointed quite often.

Ken, going to a Cyclones game and then Nathan's is, for me, a great NY experience and I always have great time. The one thing that always stands out for me at Keyspan is that there is this sense that they are so appreciative of their fans and that goes a long way. The bialy place was right next door to Sahara. I guess the bialy was okay, but having made a rookie mistake and not gone there in the morning and eaten it fresh, I'm not sure what I missed out on. It tasted somewhat bland, but I think, like bagels, they don't get better with age. Plus, this was about a year ago or more, so my memory is a bit rusty on it. I'll have to check out that bakery. What exactly is chicken schnitzel?

Re:Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Times Two! (with pics)2009/09/10 12:16:20
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<<What exactly is chicken schnitzel? >.

Basically a fried chicken cutlet on a roll along with whatever else you want as toppings. I've been to Schnitzi and Schnitzel King, and like the reviewer here, I prefer Schnitzi. You can jump to their website from the article.

Re:Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Times Two! (with pics)2009/09/10 15:16:09
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Man-o-man, I am jonesing for those Nathan's dogs with kraut and mustard. I've only been once to that location out in Coney Island, and I think truly they were the best dogs I ever had. I agree that no other location comes close. I hope you know how lucky you are to live in the greatest food mecca on the planet! I'm living vicariously through your pics and writing - thanks for taking the time to remind us what a great place NY is!

Re:Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Times Two! (with pics)2009/09/10 20:29:31
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What a great report! I am sitting here starving from looking at the pictures. The Brooklyn minor league ball park looks like an interesting place to watch a game. Running the bases after the game: now that is cool. Thanks so much for posting this report.

Re:Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Times Two! (with pics)2009/09/10 21:31:53
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great report & pics Biilyboy I'm not a ball sports fan I can relate. great shots of Nathans at night I miss those Coney Island Nathan dogs & those fries the mustard goes UNDER the kraut so it won't get on your mustache. hope you didn't need CPR after running the bases